


sugar and spice, fire and ice

by chiasa



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, One-sided pining, Unrequited, implied gyuhan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-08 23:13:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7777429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiasa/pseuds/chiasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>hanahaki wonshua college au. I'm bad with summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for all my wonshua shippers (esp zy for putting up with my twitter nonsense)

Wonwoo took a short glance to his right. Standing in all his glory, bubblegum pink hair plastered against his forehead, jersey sticking to his body like second skin was Hong Jisoo, Wonwoo’s self-proclaimed rival. Jisoo wore number 1, the ace number while Wonwoo was given a substandard number 4 even though he knew that they were of the same ability.

 

It was the middle of the quarterfinals between Cheongdam High and Yonglim High and the scores were tied. Somehow Wonwoo would love to blame it on Jisoo for trying to own the scoring shots, and missing quite a few due to the stress from being an ace. Wonwoo knew that the probability of him scoring as compared to Jisoo was rather low but he didn’t want to accept that fact he was somewhat worse off in aiming. In no way would he ever admit defeat. So when they regrouped for a timeout, Wonwoo sent scowls in Jisoo's direction, hoping it would make him notice how horrible he had been doing so far. But it wasn't jisoo who noticed. 

 

“Jeon Wonwoo, this is no time for your petty rivalry. Remember: Team first, individuals later!” the coach roared. Almost immediately, Wonwoo settled down, choosing to stare at the ground meekly.  It might be a petty rivalry as coach had put it, but it meant a lot for him who was constantly overshadowed by the wildly popular ladies’ man. 

 

As soon as the second half of the game began, both Wonwoo and Jisoo scored relentlessly for the team. The game seemed to be in their favour now that they were so focused and intent on winning. To Wonwoo, it was a competition between him and Jisoo, and so he kept count of the number of scores they made.  Then again, the winning shot always went to Jisoo. Wonwoo watched as Jisoo threw the ball right into the basket at the very last second as though it was on slow motion.  The entire hall erupted in cheers and wolf whistles the moment the sirens blast through the speakers. Cheongdam High won the game and advanced to the semifinals. The ace was flung high in the air and the crowd gathered in the middle of the court, celebrating the win. Wonwoo stood at the edge of the court, eyeing Jisoo from afar in envy. As always, a huge crowd of girls had Jisoo and some other of his teammates cornered with flowers and chocolates like it was valentine’s all over again. Wonwoo huffed in something akin to jealousy because he wasn’t entirely jealous of Jisoo. It was just attention he wanted. No, not from the fangirls. Wonwoo would never admit to wanting Jisoo looking at him like how he would look at his fangirls. He wanted Jisoo’s attention as a rival. Sometimes he wondered if Jisoo ever acknowledged him as a rival. Maybe he was far beneath Jisoo’s peripheral. Life was so unfair for Wonwoo sometimes and that was what made him bitter all the goddamn time. 

 

He turned to the bleachers only to find his friends from the soccer team waving proudly at him.  At least there were people supporting him. Jeonghan was waving his handkerchief around wildly with Mingyu by his side, who was sending hearts from across the court. Seungcheol was grinning ever so brightly as he put two thumbs up encouragingly. Jihoon did the same although a tad disinterested. Despite the turn up of supporters, Wonwoo beamed with pride. He had made at least some of them proud.

 

Junhui caught up to him in the locker rooms, teasing him as usual about his lack of attention and affection from the teams’ horde of fangirls. Or maybe Jisoo’s,God knows.

 

“You need to be more lively. Look at Jisoo,” he murmured close into Wonwoo’s ear as Wonwoo tried so desperately to slink away. “He doesn’t have to try hard that bastard. He's blessed with good looks and social skills unlike you.”

 

As much as he wanted to scream about the discomfort in the proximity they shared, Wonwoo chose to reply with a simple “I don’t care”. Junhui was his closest friend in club after all. He wouldn't want to jeopardize that. 

 

“Says the one gazing longingly at Jisoo after every match,” Junhui jabbed his arm playfully, wiggling his eyebrows to annoy Wonwoo even more. “You’re practically mooning over him.”

 

“Am not,” Wonwoo muttered disinterestedly as he took off his sweaty jersey.

 

“Aww don’t be shy, Wonwoo. The whole team knows about the intense rivalry between you two. Just give it some time before the both of you actually end up fucking the daylights out of each other,” Junhui guffawed at his own sexualised sense of humour.

 

“That's very vulgar of you but no thank you. I would never ever fuck a guy like Jisoo,” Wonwoo grimaced at the thought of it and shivered involuntarily.

 

“How about me?” Junhui asked with a hopeful grin, confident that Wonwoo would definitely choose him over Jisoo any day.

 

“Too gross.”

 

“Wha- Come here you!” Junhui grabbed Wonwoo and put him on a chokehold while messing his hair up.

 

“Man you stink. Get away from me you slimy rat,” Wonwoo shrugged off Junhui’s arm on his neck jokingly after a while of playful banter. Junhui groaned before detaching himself and heading for the showers but not before he said his tradition of goodbye - a peck on the cheeks and a teasing whisper of “see you later, boo”. Wonwoo gagged the peck but ended up smiling instead.

 

The intimate exchange caught the ace’s attention and he scoffed disdainfully in Wonwoo's direction.

 

After the casual celebration of winning the quarter finals, the Coach decided that having a debrief in the family restaurant they were at was a good idea. He clinked his nearly empty glass of beer and cleared  his throat. Everyone had their full attention on him, then he began in drunken manner, “Today, we are lucky. Next time we might not. As we progress through the competition, our opponents are fiercer, stronger and more skillful. This is where your Captain Sangha and I came out with a plan to utilize our regulars to the fullest potential.”

 

Wonwoo dreaded the mischievous glint in Coach Nakamoto’s eyes. Coach was up to no good. 

 

“We have decided to pair two of our most skillful and precious players to create a deadly combo in order for us to win. Hong Jisoo and Jeon Wonwoo where are you?” 

 

Wonwoo stared blankly, trying to let his words sink in while Jisoo waves charmingly at everyone. Junhui nudged him, snapping him out of a daze.

 

“Ah there you are, stand up both of you,” Coach Nakamoto smiles proudly. “These two scored the most today. So now, I have a task for both of you. You will create a combo, an attack that will serve as our trump card during games. Is that clear?”

 

From the corner of his eye, Wonwoo saw Jisoo nodding enthusiastically as though he had been waiting for it to happen. Wonwoo nodded weakly and stuttered a soft yes before being pushed back to his seat next to Junhui.

 

Wonwoo groaned regretfully after hearing about his impending doom. Being forced to partner up with a rival was the worst thing that could have happen. And yet it was happening to him of all people.

 

No matter how Wonwoo disagreed vehemently, they began their training as a duo the very next day. It started with a ton of warm-ups, which Wonwoo tried to avoid doing especially since the stretching was done in pairs (and his usual partner Junhui ditched him for someone else,  _ that traitor).  _ Wonwoo ultimately had no other choice but to take Jisoo’s offer when he asked if he needed help with stretching. Of course it was supposed to be just innocent stretching as what he imagined. But boy was he wrong. Jisoo took the opportunity in teasing him like that bastard he was, touching exposed skin so gently, fingers lingering a little too long in intimate places. Wonwoo felt skirmish under the unfamiliar touch but fought to stay in place. He couldn't show signs of weakness, especially with one as bad as being the most ticklish person on earth. So he swallowed huge gulps of air to even out his breathing. Jisoo noticed his discomfort and grinned.

 

“Hey Wonwoo, are you perhaps,” he leaned into Wonwoo's neck and whispered breathily, “ticklish?”

 

Almost immediately the hair on Wonwoo's neck stood,  goosebumps forming all over his body and he  _ whimpered _ . Jisoo fell over, bursting into peals of laughter at Wonwoo's honest reaction. 

 

“God you’re so sensitive, Wonwoo. At this rate, your future girlfriend will dump you for being overly sensitive. I'm not surprised if you have premature ejaculation,” Jisoo stated breathlessly as tears fell. His stomach was beginning to hurt for laughing too much. 

 

“At least I'm not a pimp like you,” Wonwoo mumbled in embarrassment because for one thing, whatever Jisoo said was nothing but the truth. Premature ejaculation should never be a joke.

 

“Hey, that's low blow you asshole,” Jisoo stopped laughing at the insult and pinned Wonwoo down swiftly. He straddled him triumphantly with his arms folded against his chest, dominating his rival easily. “Maybe I should help you with your problems then.”

 

“I'd rather you not. Firstly, I don't want Soonyoung finding me in the middle of the night dead because your crazy fangirls slaughtered me,” Wonwoo's explained tiredly as he tried to push Jisoo off him. “Secondly,” he began more firmly, trying yet again to shove Jisoo off, “I don't find you attractive at all.”

 

“Ouch,” Jisoo laughed bitterly. It sounded more hollow than he had intended. “That's a first.”

 

A loud guttural moan left Wonwoo's lips when Jisoo adjusted himself on him, grinding his ass on his groin. He glared, catching Jisoo smiling wickedly.

 

“I’m not attractive, says someone. Yet they’re reacting to me,” his voice was saccharine sweet and it took Wonwoo his everything not to barf.

 

“Get off me,  _ cheater _ ,” Wonwoo growled, baring his teeth in an attempt to show his dominance.

 

“Oh straight to name calling? How kinky,” Jisoo cooed at him before his face morphed into a dangerous one. “ _ Make me _ .”

 

(“SANGHA THEY'RE FLIRTING AGAIN,” Minsoo yelled. 

 

“Hush, Minsoo. They're just bonding,” Sangha replied calmly before continuing his warm up.)

 

Wonwoo's eyes widened and he felt slight arousal pooling in the pits of his stomach. His first instinct was to run away like he always did. However, it was a challenge of dominance from his own rival, and judging by how they're supposedly a duo now, this was probably the only chance had in defeating Jisoo. 

 

Jisoo was taken by surprise. It happened too quickly before his brain had the time to register the fact that he had been pinned down. He struggled to free his wrists only for the grip to tighten around it. Jisoo was sure bruises will bloom across the expanse of his wrists soon but the complete dominance Wonwoo had on him was strangely arousing. 

 

“Don’t rile me up. You'll regret it, Hong,” Wonwoo snarled in his deep scratchy voice. Jisoo was pleasantly surprised when he heard Wonwoo's burnt-out-after-game voice, something that he rarely heard. And for him to hear it whilst being pinned underneath the said man himself, Jisoo felt pretty proud of it. 

 

As the adrenaline wore away from his system, Wonwoo realised how he was staring right into Jisoo's pretty _pretty_ eyes, their noses brushing, bodies flushed from the proximity. In a flash, he released his grip on Jisoo, ignoring the strange looks he received from his teammates as he dove straight into the locker room. 

 

“And that, fellow team mates, is how you flirt,” Junhui dispersed the awkward silence with a snide remark and the team chuckled.

 

Jisoo was left on the floor, looking flushed. He caught Junhui watching him carefully before chuckling away. It took him a moment to realise why. 

 

He was painfully hard.

 

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckkkk,” Wonwoo paced back and forth in the locker room. He was currently alone, going insane at the fact that he was hard from the sexual encounter with Jisoo. It would be a lie to deny that there was some form of sexual tension between them both anyway. But it was far too tangible today. Was it the after effect of a game? Maybe he had too much of pent up energy in him.  In fact Wonwoo hadn't been relieving his hormones lately. At this point of time, the only way to get rid of his boner was to masturbate unlike the usual surprise boners he could wish away during intense games. So he ducked into the furthest cubicle, hoping no one would even find him there. Slowly, he slid his hand underneath the elastic band of his briefs and he palmed himself gently. Wonwoo’s body reacted immediately, hypersensitive of each touch that he had no choice but to bite on his lips to keep himself from moaning out loud. 

 

His ears perked up and picked out soft shuffling as if someone rushed in without wanting to arouse suspicion. Wonwoo froze when he heard it; small huffs of breath and the barest of moans. 

 

“Hnnghh…” it came out breathlessly from the guy in the next stall. Wonwoo was sure that it was one of his teammates. And so he pressed his ear close to the cubicle (which isn't entirely creepy) out of plain curiosity.

 

_ Who's that idiot masturbating in the locker room?  _

 

Then he caught it. A small frustrated whine that was all too familiar. “Fuck.”

 

Wonwoo gulped knowing who the occupant was. His body was on fire now, his hand picking up speed as he pumped himself. 

 

“Nghhh… Fuck you…  _ Wonwoo.. _ ”

 

Embarrassingly enough, Wonwoo came right then, prematurely, at the mention of his name. It was rather soft but Wonwoo was confident he heard it right. There wasn’t any malice in the way he had said it. Wonwoo couldn’t think straight.

 

“Shit,” he muttered too loudly. The moans and breathless whines stopped. There was complete silence for a while as though time stood still and Wonwoo knew he's been busted. “I’ll just leave. Please continue where you left off.”

 

With that Wonwoo dashed out of the locker room, past the court, out of school and straight home. Soonyoung wasn't home when he came back and he was all too glad that he was alone. He needed some time to sort his fraying thoughts. Soonyoung would probably be all loud and annoying if he ever was home, not that Wonwoo complained since he cook amazing dinners when his mom wasn't around. Then Wonwoo called in sick for the first time ever since he joined basketball.

 

Junhui wasn't one to pry but when Wonwoo skipped practice, he was the most vicious and demanding person Wonwoo knew (though not as vicious as an angry Jeonghan which only Mingyu could handle, kudos to him).

 

“Why aren't you coming to practice?” Junhui cornered him in the hallway during lunch.

 

“I'm feeling under the weather lately,” Wonwoo looked everywhere else except for Junhui. He hated lying especially to one he considered a close friend. 

 

“You've been saying that for the past few days, Wonwoo. That's not cool. You stood him up too many times. He's been waiting for you.”

 

“What? Me? Stood him up? Please Junhui, it's not even funny alright. I bet he's doing all fine and dandy,” Wonwoo felt his anger boiling. He was glad that he still has that tiny piece of sanity keeping him grounded. “Anyway, I'm going to talk Coach Nakamoto out of this combo duo shit he came up with.”

 

“Fine and dandy my ass. You missed seven days worth of practice. Look Wonwoo, you're my friend. We both know how much you dislike Jisoo but now I can't watch you doing this alright?  It's stupid. I don't even know what's happening. Jisoo is responsible for this combo duo thing too. You just have to man up a little, face him head on like a rival should,” Junhui pushed him against the lockers and grabs his collar, glaring right into his eyes. “If only you knew how our ace is right now.”

 

The colour in his face drained when he heard those words. Junhui was right. He had been a selfish twat, thinking only for himself. Whatever it was, the incident in the locker rooms should’ve been forgotten. Wonwoo should’ve moved on. However he couldn't shake off the discomfort residing in his heart. The fingers on his collar were gone the next moment. Junhui stormed off angrily, kicking a locker in his path. Wonwoo couldn't help but watched him go helplessly.

 

So he came for practice as much as he wanted to run away and hide. Wonwoo shied away in a corner where no one could see him and he observed a particular person during individual practice. What may seem alright to most wasn't as alright as what Wonwoo saw in Jisoo. His heart literally dropped to the floor when he noticed Jisoo missing hoop after hoop, his shots bouncing off the board. None of it fell through. Jisoo wasn't in good shape. It was evident in his stance and posture, as though he had been beaten. 

 

Their captain walked over to Jisoo and pulled him aside to where Wonwoo was hiding. Wonwoo crouched even lower to remain unseen. 

 

“Jisoo have you been sleeping well? Or at least resting enough? I heard from the rest that you’ve been practising till late at night,” Sangha’s voice was dripping with concern.

 

“Sorry captain. I'm just distracted. Lately there's something bothering me,” Jisoo replied tiredly. He was panting harder than usual.

 

“You know you can always tell me anything right? Especially if it's about your attack combo with Wonwoo.”

 

“About that… I think it's best if you revoked that idea. I'm really sorry for even suggesting that to you. I thought Wonwoo and I would work well together. I really thought we could.”

 

Wonwoo’s eyes widened at the new nugget of information. He never suspected Jisoo to be behind all that. Why would his rival even thought about such a thing?

 

“You know how most of the seniors are rooting for you as captain and Wonwoo as vice captain right? All of us, Coach Nakamoto included, think of this as test for the both of you.”

 

This time a gasp left his lips as Wonwoo processed what he just heard.

 

“Captain, in no way am I being rude here but Wonwoo is more than capable. He's really responsible and he cares greatly for the team while there's me lacking greatly in many aspects. I believe he should be captain. In my humble opinion, you should find another vice captain. I think I can't work with Wonwoo like this.”

 

“Was there something personal that happened between the both of you?” Sangha was prying now. As captain he thought he deserved to know what had been troubling Jisoo so much.

 

“Oh there’s nothing. It’s just me, Captain. Don't worry too much.”

 

“Well if you say so. Take a break before you continue, okay?” He patted Jisoo’s back with a warm smile.

 

“Yes captain.”

 

Guilt bubbled in the depths of Wonwoo's chest as he processed what he heard from Jisoo. It wasn't his intention to eavesdrop on Jisoo's conversation with the captain. Hearing Jisoo talking about him fondly gave him a shock. 

 

Wonwoo waited till the rest of his teammates retreated for the night. It was getting late and only one person was left practicing on the court. Noisy squeaking of sneakers filled the air, followed by a frustrated cry that shattered his heart into pieces. Decidedly, Wonwoo walked out from the shadows quietly hoping Jisoo didn’t take notice of him.

 

“Hi,” his voice was barely a whisper but it was enough for Jisoo to freeze in his tracks. It took a second before Jisoo turned around to face him and Wonwoo’s heart immediately felt at ease. It had been a week of avoiding and Wonwoo began missing his annoyingly pretty rival.

 

“Hi… What are you doing here? ” Jisoo croaks out, voice and expression severely mismatched. It was as though he was forcing so hard to smile yet his voice sounded so dead. This Jisoo was so foreign to Wonwoo. He’d never seen him like this before.

 

“Uh.. Why are you staying so late?” Wonwoo avoided his question with another one.

 

“I asked you first but I'm gonna answer your question anyway. I'm perfecting something. At least one of us should be working our butts off,” Jisoo chuckled bitterly, fingers brushing his temple as he wiped his perspiration off.

 

Wonwoo studied every inch of Jisoo's face now that he was closer and he felt his heart lurch. It was sunken and hollowed. Was Jisoo always that skinny?

 

“I'm sorry,” was all he managed to say with all his feelings in turmoil. 

 

“No don't be. I should be the sorry one.” Jisoo inhaled a sharp breath and looked away. He wore a troubled expression on his face as if he was deciding on something. Then he set his eyes on Wonwoo with resignation. “Whatever… whatever you heard in the cubicle the other day,” Jisoo’s eyes darted around in panic, hands nervously playing with the ball. His cheeks was dusted with a pretty shade of pink (which Wonwoo would never say aloud). “Please forget all of it.”

 

It was the first time Wonwoo saw Jisoo this vulnerable. He almost felt sorry for him. “Alright.”

 

A beautiful smile curled on the corner of Jisoo's lips, looking so relieved that the root of his problem was possibly gone forever. “Alright,” he echoed softly. “I want to show you something.”

 

“Okay, show me,” Wonwoo mumbled, cleared his throat and tried again, this time his voice dripping with cockiness that he used to have whenever he spoke to Jisoo. “Show me what you’ve been perfecting while I was gone.”

 

Jisoo’s smile morphed into a sly one and Wonwoo sighed in relief.  _ This is good. This is normal _ , Wonwoo thought briefly. It seemed like their rivalry was back to the way it always have been.

 

“It's just something like a quick attack but I’ll end it with a dunk. We have really make it super quick so our opponents have no chance to react,” Jisoo explained before he dribbled the ball in his hands. “Want to give it a go?”

 

“Sure, why not?” Wonwoo hid his excitement with a nonchalant shrug. Hearing Jisoo addressing them as ‘we’ made his heart flutter a little.

 

Wonwoo shrugged his sweater off, throwing it aside as he readied himself for Jisoo’s pass. A week of missing practice did practically nothing to his ball control and aim. It was impeccable as always. After a few minutes of some warm-up passing, Jisoo demonstrated what they were supposed to do. 

 

Jisoo began by throwing a pass to Wonwoo, followed by a dribble and a fake from Wonwoo - his specialty really because of the obvious pokerface - and when he saw Jisoo nearing the basket he threw the ball right at him. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Wonwoo felt a sense of familiarity in the scene before him, only a little different than the usual. Somehow, this time round, Jisoo was sparkling. His form was perfect, beautiful even, as he dunked the ball and Wonwoo’s heart exploded - not quite literally but it felt as though a bunch of flowers had bursted from his chest. It was magical; hauntingly beautiful. Wonwoo collapsed on the floor in awe. Jisoo was still sparkling when he landed and Wonwoo, as though he finally saw a whole new sight he’d never seen before, realised that Jisoo sparkled like a star during his peak performance and it was terrifyingly captivating. Now he knew how Jisoo’s fangirls felt when they watched him play.

 

“How was it? Cool huh?” Jisoo had his hand on his hip, standing lopsidedly with a smirk on his face.

 

“T-that was c-cool,” Wonwoo stuttered, still recovering from the initial wave of awe.

 

“Are you one of my fans now?” Jisoo found Wonwoo’s expression hilarious and he cracked up.

 

That snapped Wonwoo out of his stupor. A scowl twisted his face as he recoiled at what Jisoo said. “No. It’s high time we head home.”

 

Jisoo shrugged Wonwoo’s hostility away and grabbed his things to leave.

 

Wonwoo remembered running, away from the court, away from school into a small deserted playground near his apartment complex. His heart was still pounding weirdly as he recalled what happened back in the sports hall.

 

_ What the fuck was that? _

  
Whatever it was Wonwoo simply brushed it off, deciding that he was never to bring that matter up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will be chaptered for sure. i'm completing it soon because i can't stand writing terribly long one-shots. i have no patience for that. also i love the idea of them being rivals in a basketball team all that frustration and tension. yes. /in bliss/


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys I hope the layout is okay... My laptop is a goner now so I'm updating from my phone. Also I decided to split this into 3 parts since I'm currently facing a writer's block.

The next day he was back at club practice. Coach and Captain welcomed him back with open arms, including his teammates and Junhui. There wasn’t any hard feelings involved on coach Nakamoto’s part, knowing that Wonwoo was in turmoil by the sudden request he imposed on him. As for Wonwoo, any traces of discomfort and uncertainty was masked by a smile which looked like a painful grimace. Wonwoo averted his eyes whenever he made eye contact with Jisoo; somehow he always did that subconsciously. Maybe Jisoo had been staring at him too much. Wonwoo could feel eyes on him and it was making him extremely flustered from all the attention. He looked up for a glimpse to check if Jisoo was carefully watching him and sure enough he was.

 

It was unsettling the way Jisoo observed him but Wonwoo quickly brushed his weird thoughts away. All that didn't go unnoticed by Junhui who was quietly watching them. 

 

“Did I miss something here?” he rested an arm over Wonwoo’s shoulder casually and pulled him closer. 

 

“Nothing happened,” Wonwoo replied rather calmly as he sipped some water from his tumbler. 

 

“You sure? ‘Cause from the way I see Sir Jisoo is glaring holes into my head,” Junhui nodded towards Jisoo and gave him a small harmless wave, to which Jisoo ignored coldly. 

 

“It's Jisoo. He's always high and mighty, you know? So frustratingly perfect with his crooning voice and stupid guitar strumming. He even has good grades,” Wonwoo grumbled under his breath. His frustration only seemed to fuel Junhui’s chuckle.

 

“You mean you heard him sing before?” Junhui asked jokingly, swallowing back a laugh. 

 

“He's my rival. Obviously I kept tabs on him duh,” Wonwoo deadpanned as he bend down to tighten his shoelaces. “Just two months ago, Jisoo came in a close second to Seokmin in one of their stupid singing competitions held on campus.”

 

“Hold on a second, you mean you’ve been observing him all these while? You sure you aren’t obsessed bro?” Junhui’s smile disappeared, replacing itself with an upturn frown.

 

“There’s no such thing as obsession, Jun,” Wonwoo replied curtly, “Like the saying goes, knowing the enemy is half the battle.”

 

“I’m not sure if that’s the right one…” Junhui murmured.

 

“Whatever it is, I’ve gotta run now. Jisoo’s calling for me,” Wonwoo deliberately avoided the topic once more, sauntering off to find the said rival. 

 

“If you say so,” Junhui mumbled to himself. He shouldn’t overthink too much about those two anyway.  _ If it happens, then it’s for the best. _

 

_  ---- _

 

Practice, to Wonwoo, was just another normal drill except this time he was in neutral waters with his rival. They repeated what they did yesterday under the watchful eyes of Coach Nakamoto and Sangha. Thankfully enough, the wild explosion of awe and admiration didn’t happen. It made Wonwoo think about what truly happened yesterday. Was it just a fluke? 

 

“I’m hoping you’ll modify this move to make it more… unbeatable,” Coach Nakamoto spoke after a moment of silence before dismissing the both of them to brush up on their attack combo.

 

Wonwoo glanced secretly at Jisoo, watching him discuss with their captain about something seemingly important. He tore his eyes away from Jisoo only to find himself being observed by the coach. He had a fond smile etched on his face - as though he knew what was going on between the two of them (not that there was anything to begin with).

 

“I see you’re tolerating him, Wonwoo?” It wasn’t really a question but Wonwoo nodded anyway. “I’m glad things are finally working out between you two. Our team needs to be in our best condition. I’m sure you know that. Somehow having the both of you in the team, two talented players, without any interaction brought the team morale down. Well, you guys weren’t exactly in talking terms in the first place,” the coach blabbered on, reminiscing the old times.

 

It was awkward for Wonwoo to hear words filled with sentiment or anything of that sort. He didn’t necessarily despised affection and tenderness. However, those were emotions he found hard to deal with. He never could really understand himself when he’s feeling such emotions. So he stood there, stiffly, listening to everything coach had to say in silence.

 

“I’m happy, Wonwoo. You have a lot of potential and I believe in you. Sangha does too, you know,” Coach Nakamoto patted his shoulder before giving him a proud smile. “You’ve got to believe in yourself. You’re really capable.”

 

“Thank you, coach,” was all he said before Jisoo yelled for him to practice.

 

Training ended quite early that day, much to everyone’s relief. Junhui quickly made plans with the rest of the team to have dinner together at his favourite ramyeon shop about two streets away from campus. There was a collective agreement from everyone in the locker room as they rushed to change out of their jerseys. Wonwoo sat by a bench, isolating himself from the rest of the team. He was waiting for the communal showers to be empty again so he could take his time in there. Even after almost two years in the team, Wonwoo still felt uncomfortable showering with people he wasn’t close with. He particularly avoided showering with Jisoo - the others he didn’t mind much - because he was always too overly aware of his presence. So he made sure he never stepped into the showers together with him.

 

Wonwoo slowly peeled his jersey off, disgusted by how sweaty he was. The moment cold water hit his back, he let out a soft moan of contentment. The cold water cascade down his torso, leaving him refreshed. He lathered shampoo into his hair and massaged it thoroughly. As he was washing the suds away, he heard another shower being turned on not far away from him. He panicked, getting soap in his eyes when he opened his eyes too early. 

 

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.

 

“Hey you okay?” 

 

Wonwoo felt his body tensing up at how close that voice suddenly was. “I’m okay,” he shouted in reflex, still blinded by the suds. He didn’t have to see to know that he was sharing the communals with Jisoo.

 

“If you say so,” Jisoo drawled, going on his merry way to clean himself up. 

 

Then he felt it, in the deepest part of his chest, a stifling feeling suppressed within his lungs. Wonwoo could barely breathe, struggling to inhale. His chest was caving in and he was wheezing so hard, even his legs began to tremble. Wonwoo’s eyes watered and his lips turned blue. A loud resounding thud echoed throughout the communal as he fell on his knees. Wonwoo clawed his throat helplessly to get rid of the tightness that was choking him. 

 

“Wonwoo? Wonwoo OMG WONWOO?” Jisoo rushed to his side, almost slipping head first.

 

Wonwoo started hacking. There was something lodged deep in his throat, restricting his airway and he had to get it out.

 

“WONWOO? SOMEBODY HELP! OMG WONWOO,” Jisoo yelled in panic as he scooped Wonwoo in his arms. 

 

Wonwoo pushed Jisoo's arm away weakly, slipping onto the wet tiles on all fours and he coughed the hardest he could. His eyes widened in horror when he saw it, a steady stream of lavenders covering the tiles. Each time he thought it was over, he had coughed up a stream of flowers all over again. Jisoo stepped away in shock as he watched Wonwoo while the rest of his teammates rushed in to help. Wonwoo’s throat was raw and his vision was blurry. He struggled to stand up before Junhui came running over to support him with an arm around his waist. He felt gross; Wonwoo knew he looked gross and messy with a tear stained face, slobbered with drool and mucus. He couldn’t bear to face his teammates like that, especially not Jisoo.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Junhui wore a worried look on his face as he guided him to the nearest bench. Clearly at this point, everyone was peering at him from behind Junhui’s shoulder. Wonwoo wasn’t sure if he could talk. He barely had the energy to even stand on his own feet. “Guys, could you let Wonwoo breathe a little? And help to clean those flowers in the communals before coach gets furious,” Junhui barked at the crowd behind him and they scurried away timidly.

 

“Wonwoo, this is bad news. You know that right? Coach can’t know about this or he’ll sit you out in the upcoming games,” Junhui fretted. His voice was gentle despite the harsh look on his face. He took a clean towel from the nearest shelf and started wiping Wonwoo’s back dry. 

 

“I don't... want to get... benched,” Wonwoo croaked out feebly. 

 

“You know how coach is,” Junhui sighed. Lines of worry etched on his handsome face and Wonwoo felt guilty for being the cause of it. 

 

“I’m… okay,” he tried to convince his friend but his face betrayed him.

 

“I think you need to at least inform coach. Hopefully he’ll understand your condition. I mean it's unavoidable,” Junhui suggested. 

 

“No. No you… you can't tell...him,” Wonwoo protested tiredly. 

 

Junhui’s hands stopped moving. He took a deep breath, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. “Okay. We'll keep it a secret. But we gotta make the entire team keep this a secret.”

 

“Thanks Jun,” Wonwoo heaved a long sigh. 

 

“Don't mention it Wonwoo,” Junhui hid a small smile as he continued drying Wonwoo’s hair. 

 

Jisoo eavesdropped their conversation from behind a wall of lockers with a heavy heart.

 

\---

It was a normal Friday with a normally crazy lunch crowd - which Wonwoo hated with a vengeance. Wonwoo gripped his tray tighter as he searched for familiar faces in the sea of students. A hand shot up and waved at him eagerly. Wonwoo rolled his eyes though he ended up smiling. Seated on the lunch table was his friends from soccer and Junhui. 

 

“Yo, I heard you choked yourself on your flowers in the showers bro,” Mingyu planted himself on the bench right next to him. “Did you hear that Cheonsa? I rhymed,” he turned to whisper into Jeonghan's ear gleefully. 

 

“Shut up Mingyu this is serious,” Jeonghan chastised but there was only tenderness in his voice. Mingyu gave him a huge pout in return. “What Mingyu's saying is that we caught wind of your unrequited love for someone. Maybe we can help since… we sort of went through the same thing.”

 

“Hey, I did all that choking Jeonghan. He should listen to me,” Mingyu was offended. 

 

“Oh hush, Mingyu. I give better advice than you do. Just admit it.”

 

“Fine. I expect something from you when we get home,” Mingyu smirked as he slid his hand across the expanse of Jeonghan's thigh. 

 

“God damn it Mingyu. Quit being so horny,” Seungcheol groaned in frustration. 

 

“You're just jealous that Seungkwan doesn't give you the attention you want, hyung,” Mingyu laughed at Seungcheol who was turning red. 

 

“Shut up!” Jeonghan cupped Mingyu’s mouth shut with a murderous glare. Everyone on the table visibly shrunk back in terror, including Wonwoo. Jihoon who was busy playing with his phone, looked up for a moment, rolled his eyes and folded his arms, looking so unimpressed.

 

“Okay, so as we were discussing before  _ some people _ decided to interrupt us,” Jeonghan repeated with firmness in his voice. “How can I help you with your problem?”

 

“Nothing,” Wonwoo replied nonchalantly as he munched on his tuna sandwich. “I’m not gonna do anything about this crush.”

 

“Aren't you worried that your coach would find out and bench you?” Jeonghan stared at him bemusedly, eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment.

 

“I experienced that first hand. It was awful,” Mingyu commented offhandedly, chewing on some potato chips. 

 

“A crush that literally crushes you,” Jihoon muttered to himself, earning a chuckle from Seungcheol and a ‘Nice one Jihoonie’ from Junhui.

 

“Junhui made everyone swear to god they won't let anything out,” Wonwoo nodded towards Junhui who did a small wave at the rest. “He’s scary when he needs to be.”

 

“Putting that aside, who's that person you're in love with one-sidedly? I’m curious,” Seungcheol tapped his chin in wonder. Wonwoo barely had any love interests. Hell, he didn't even have a love life to begin with. Everyone was sure Wonwoo didn't have a sex drive or romantic attraction towards anyone. 

 

“I might have an inkling,” Junhui piped in with a knowing look. He narrowed his eyes at Wonwoo before wiggling his eyebrow.

 

Wonwoo dropped his sandwich and looked up in panic. “Wen Junhui you better shut the fuck up,” he warned. 

 

“I will, sheesh,” Junhui grumbled under his breath and frowned. “Sorry guys, I'm under an oath. My lips are sealed.”

 

“What a bummer,” Jeonghan said and everyone sighed collectively.

 

“You're such a party pooper Wonwoo.”

 

“Shut up large dog,” Wonwoo sulked. He picked up his sandwich and tore it aggressively with his teeth. 

 

“You mean large dick,” Mingyu guffawed. A loud thwack on his head silenced him. “Ouch. Hyung, you love it though,” Mingyu whined and pouted. That earned him another smack on his shoulder by a beetroot faced Jeonghan. 

 

\---

 

Days dragged on slowly, like it was meant to torture Wonwoo. Practice was almost every single day now that the semi finals are approaching. Somehow Wonwoo managed to keep his disease on a low. Thankfully no one had ratted out to the coach about his unfortunate condition yet. Wonwoo knew there were some who were waiting for golden opportunities like this to ruin him. He should be grateful to have Junhui on his side for now. Whenever he was about to hack up fresh lavenders, Wonwoo would scurry away in panic, disappearing for a good few minutes before coming back looking disheveled. He was glad coach Nakamoto hadn't realised how often he was gone. However, one of the few club managers came up to him after practice. It was Eunbi, his neighbour back in the old neighbourhood where he used to live in.

 

“Wonwoo, you can't really disappear like that. What if coach noticed?” 

 

“Eunbi, you don't have to worry. It's not like I leave whenever he has something big to announce. I’m pretty sneaky,” he shrugged with an unbothered expression. 

 

“But…” she trailed off with a weird look on her face. After a few seconds of deliberation, Eunbi wore a determined expression on her face. “I’ll help you win Jisoo over so you don't have to suffer.”

 

“What?” Wonwoo squeaked, looking so horrified. 

 

“I said I'll-”

 

He cupped her mouth with a hand and looked around, hoping nobody noticed or heard a thing. Wonwoo dragged her aside roughly and started yelling at her in a hushed tone. “It's not Jisoo goddamn it! Why would you even think? Omg!”

 

“Huh? You mean it's not him?” She tilted her head to the side, bewildered, and squinted her eyes at him. Wonwoo shook his head rapidly, his neck started hurting. “Well then there wasn't really a reason to panic like that. You scared me,” she pouted unhappily. 

 

Eunbi was still suspicious of Wonwoo. She knew him too well for her to ignore how dodgy Wonwoo was at the moment. They had known each other for years which explained why she knew him inside out. 

 

Her eyes panned across the court, searching for her boyfriend, Sangha, when she locked eyes with a pair that was observing her. It was Jisoo. She felt unsettled by the strong gaze and looked away hurriedly. 

 

Wonwoo swallowed back a groan when the coach sent both Jisoo and him on a run around campus, to keep their stamina in top condition. Running wasn't really Wonwoo’s favourite. It was an obvious reason why he joined basketball and not track and field. But he knew he couldn't skip out on it - coach could tell if someone bailed on their run or not, creepily enough - so he soldiered on despite feeling fatigued.

 

Two-fifth into the route, Wonwoo had the sudden urge to vomit. It was getting better somehow, the choking feeling in his chest was replaced with nausea. Sometimes, the flowers would lodge itself in his throat and any amount of coughing wouldn't exactly remove it. When that happens, Junhui would be there to do the heimlich maneuver on him. However he was alone now. He hoped it wouldn't be that bad. 

 

Wonwoo's knees gave way, it always did, going on all fours before he started coughing. He was used to it, seeing a mess of pretty lavenders covered in saliva.  _ How tragic. _ He felt sorry for himself -and those innocent flowers - for putting himself through such pain of loving someone. It was unrequited at best and Wonwoo felt even more sorry that his first love ended up like this. His heart wilted at the thought of never getting better, having his love accepted and reciprocated. 

 

“So you’re coughing out flowers, huh?” a voice Wonwoo hated to love broke his train of thoughts, peering from behind his shoulder. 

 

“The flowers will look pretty if it wasn’t covered in your slobber,” Jisoo commented with a teasing smile like he always did. Wonwoo sweared by God his heart skipped a beat again. It wasn’t just a regular thud but a wild throbbing feeling in his chest and it was beginning to ache. Wonwoo noticed how often it was happening lately and it scared him. 

 

“Why… are you still.. here?” Wonwoo caught his breath after the huge coughing fit, wiping away the remaining traces of saliva and mucus off his face. He was pretty sure he looks gross and disgusting as always.

 

“Taking a good look at you,” Jisoo scrutinized him with a newfound interest to which Wonwoo glared murderously. At least he tried to. “I think I like you better like this.”

 

“What… a sadist,” Wonwoo croaked, still recovering from a raw throat.

 

“Sadist or not, everyone still loves me,” Jisoo grinned cheekily as he patted Wonwoo’s back gently much to his distaste as he shrugged the kind gesture off. Jisoo chuckled and planted himself next to Wonwoo. He received a frustrated whine in return when he nuzzled right against the other male.

 

There was a fleeting silence between the both of them, surprisingly a comfortable one despite the usual tension between them. Wonwoo would like to think that they were closer somehow after training together. Maybe it was just all in his head, a delusion his mind made up. 

 

“Hey, who’s that girl you’re crushing on?” Jisoo broke the silence, curious as to who had stolen Wonwoo’s heart away so easily. He busied himself, fingers tracing the dirt in an attempt to distract himself from the answer. He truly didn’t want to know despite asking.

 

“Why would I even tell you?” Wonwoo muttered bitterly.

 

“Scared I’ll snatch her away? I mean come on, she doesn’t even like you back,” Jisoo said rather coyly, as if he had an inkling of who Wonwoo might currently be crushing on. “Is it me?” he leaned in closer, breath ghosting over Wonwoo’s ear.

 

He shivered, involuntarily. “Even if it was a guy, I wouldn’t  _ ever _ like you in that way,” Wonwoo managed to reply indifferently before he felt a lump in his throat. In an instant, Wonwoo was down on his knees, vomiting the same little lavenders he'd been coughing up. 

 

Jisoo watched him, arms folded against his chest in disbelief. “Well, the flowers you’re hurling up are my favourite kind of flowers. I’m just saying that there’s a huge coincidence right here.”

 

“Not everything revolves around you! Junhui also like lavender flowers,” Wonwoo choked out and gasped for air. His chest felt heavy and crushed; like he was ran over by a monster truck.

 

“Oh,” Jisoo was taken aback, as though he hadn’t expected an answer like that. “So it’s Junhui,” he mumbled, almost in disbelief. “I guess I can see why…”

 

“What?” Wonwoo wheezed out in confusion. No.  _ No. “ _ It’s not  _ Junhui _ ,” he was desperately convincing the person he’d been crushing on that he was wrong, that it wasn't Junhui. 

 

_ It’s you, _ Wonwoo thought briefly but he caught himself before confessing on impulse.

 

“Whatever, it is none of my business anyway,” Jisoo stood up abruptly, brushing dirt off his pants and gave Wonwoo a last look. “I'm finishing the run. Don’t be late for practice.”

 

Wonwoo sighed defeatedly. That last sentence was the coldest exchange they’d ever had despite being rivals. He propped himself against the fence, body slackening in exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why lavenders? 
> 
> Jisoo has that calm image idk. Whenever I see him I think of lavenders. Also lavenders signify:  
> Purity (the love Wonwoo has for jisoo. It's his first love okay), Silence (wonwoo keeping his feelings to himself), Devotion (his feelings for jisoo ain't going anywhere), Caution (how wonwoo generally is around jisoo. His guard is always up), Serenity and Grace (Jisoo's attributes yo), Calmness (the feeling I get when I think of jisoo. Lol)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for being so late guys. my laptop was finally fixed. i'm so sorry!

Later that evening, as practice came to an end,  Jisoo found himself getting cornered by two teammates in a secluded area, some 500 metres away from the locker rooms. He recognised them as Yunjae and Jeonsol, the troublemakers of the team, always kicking up a fuss for not getting chosen as starters for any of the playoffs. 

 

“What do you guys want?” Jisoo asked with an air of superiority around him, folding his arms tight around his chest to seem more intimidating, if not menacing.

 

“Hey Jisoo you’re finally working together with Wonwoo, huh? Didn’t the both of you avoid passing the ball to each other like a plague?” Yunjae began in a taunting voice with a smile all crooked and demeaning.

 

“Yeah especially during matches,” Jeonsol echoed.

 

“It was all coach Nakamoto’s orders. And I believe we work better together, bringing the team to greater heights,” Jisoo replied with a tight smile. He’s seen this too many times, teammates who weren’t regulars talking shit about Wonwoo. It was beginning to get on his nerves.

 

“I bet you did favours for coach and Sangha for them to even consider Wonwoo in the team,” Yunjae goaded him further knowing Jisoo would react when provoked like that. 

 

“When will you quit being jealous? He's as good as me and has the potential to be even better. Unlike the two of you, he earnestly improving himself for the team and for himself. Stop talking shit about him,” Jisoo’s voice was louder now, mirroring the boiling anger spreading around his veins like poison. 

 

“What? Protecting your woman huh, Jisoo? Or is it the other way round? He's been fucking you really good it seems,” Yunjae sneered at him with smirk plastered on his face. 

 

Jisoo's hands were trembling, anger coursing through his veins. He was so close to lashing out - God knows what he'd love to do to that bastard’s face - but a sudden yet familiar grip on his forearm calmed him down immediately. The voice he heard was firm yet timid, like a broken plea.

 

“It isn't worth it. Let's go.”

 

It was Wonwoo. Wonwoo who loved Junhui, not him. Wonwoo who hated him. Wonwoo who was always so distant, so quiet, so out of reach. And the same Wonwoo was dragging him away from the nasty bullies like he was used to it. Much to his chagrin, Jisoo flushed pink as Wonwoo slipped his hand lower, past his forearm, to his hand where fingers intertwined in a loose hold.

 

“Hey, where are you two going?” Yunjae yelled as he watched them leave. 

 

“Away from you fucking bastards!” Wonwoo turned around and flipped him off with his free hand. Jisoo couldn't help but giggle at the image of Wonwoo baring his middle finger like that. 

 

“This isn't over yet!”

 

Once they were out of sight, Wonwoo burst out laughing, bent over with a hand clutching his stomach. He must've held that in while putting on a stupidly menacing aura. It was fake;  Wonwoo wasn't always that intimidating. Jisoo observed him, almost as though he was awestruck, for his laugh was breathy yet so mesmerising.

 

“I've never seen you laugh like that before,” Jisoo blurted out before he could stop himself, turning a bright shade of red when he realised what he said. 

 

“You must've not stayed around long enough then,” Wonwoo glanced at Jisoo with a terribly pleased smile before releasing the hold on his hand. It wasn't the slightest bit awkward as how Jisoo imagined it would be. It felt  _ comfortable _ . 

 

“Sangha's searching for you,” Wonwoo spoke in a low voice which Jisoo strained his ears to hear. “You should go.”

 

“Yeah I should,” Jisoo repeated with small smile. “Thanks for stopping me before I did something stupid.”

 

“It’s no trouble at all since we’re a duo now. Obviously I won't let you to do that and mess up our hard work ,” Wonwoo shrugged indifferently. “Honestly, don't let their words bother you.” Wonwoo patted his shoulder to cheer him up. Jisoo didn't even know why he was feeling morose in the first place.

 

“I need to go. Junhui wants to get dinner together,” Wonwoo said after a moment of silence. 

 

_ Oh. Right. _

 

“Go get changed. See you tomorrow, Jisoo.”

 

It sunk in so deep within him that Jisoo finally understood why there was a dull thud in his chest, why he was unexplainably depressed. 

 

_ Wonwoo loves Junhui, not me.  _

 

As if it wasn't already enough, Wonwoo found himself leaning onto a pillar for support. He was at it again, hurling out pretty little lavenders, eyes tearing up from the rawness in his throat. He choked back a sob, thinking about how he lied to Jisoo that Junhui invited him for dinner out of spite. But lying was the only way to get rid of his feelings for him.  _ It's good,  it's alright, this is the only way, Wonwoo,  _ he told himself. 

 

_ It's okay _ . 

 

Wonwoo heaved a deep sigh, a sharp pain piercing through his chest as he coughed up remnants of flowers before staggering away.

\---

Five days turned to four, three then two. Two days before the semi finals, the coach gathered everyone after practice. Plastered on his face was an enthusiastic grin that seemed quite disturbing considering the fact that it was Coach Nakamoto, the grumpy old tyrant. His presence was enough to settle everyone down, silencing anyone who dared to interrupt him. 

 

Wonwoo placed himself next to Junhui, huddling closer when he felt Jisoo's sharp gaze on him. 

 

Coach Nakamoto cleared his throat, startling everyone. “I have an announcement to make, more like informing all you about something important. After much deliberation from your seniors, captain and vice-captain included, we have selected our next captain and vice-captain who will be leading the team after this season ends.”

 

The entire team held their breaths in anticipation as Coach Nakamoto deliberately dragged announcing the next pair of captain and vice-captain.

 

“So, for captain we have…” there was a long dramatic pause before he continued, “Hong Jisoo.” The entire team burst out in wolf whistles and a bunch of ‘Go Jisoo!’ He cleared his throat once again and everyone immediately shut up. “It was difficult deciding who should be vice-captain though since we have two excellent players as candidates. However, one of them has been showing a lot of growth since as compared to the past,” he rambled on, trying so hard to conceal his excitement. “Ultimately we decided that Jeon Wonwoo should be vice-captain!”

 

Wonwoo froze in his seat next to Junhui. It was like the post-celebratory dinner all over again, where everything went in slow motion and him being in a daze. Wonwoo watched as everyone congratulated him. Junhui was hugging him so tight yet amidst the chaos, Wonwoo caught Jisoo, who was enveloped in a hug by other teammates, staring at him forlornly.

 

“Jisoo,” he called out in impulse but it was drowned out by the happy celebration happening around him. He stood in the middle of the gym helplessly as Sangha dragged Jisoo off somewhere. 

 

That night, Wonwoo could barely sleep, thinking about being vice captain and Jisoo of all things. He tossed and turned, and rolled off his bed when he heard a buzz on his phone. He scrambled up to check the notification. In bold letters, it read ‘1 NEW MESSAGE FROM UNKNOWN’. Curious, he opened the message and read it quietly.

 

From: unknown

**hey congrats on being the next vice-captain** **00:41**

**it's jisoo btw just in case you’re unsure** **00:41**

 

To: unknown

**umm… thanks. you too. congrats on being captain.** **00:41**

**you got my number from???** **00:42**

 

From: js

**uhh i always had it since the first sem i met you**

**and i asked junhui as well** **00:43**

 

To: js

**okay** **00:43**

 

From: js

**oh yeah before i forget… wonwoo, let's do our best tmr. you probably can't sleep right now but don't worry. we trained hard for tmr. as a duo.** **00:45**

 

To: js

**thanks.** **00:45**

**we'll win.** **00:49**

  
  


As if it worked like magic, Wonwoo’s mind was at ease and he fell into a deep slumber. He dreamt of faces, not just any but Jisoo's sweet smiles and whispers of his name... only to be rudely awakened by his housemate.

 

“Fucking hell Soonyoung! What do you want?” Wonwoo grumbled unhappily as he rubbed his eyes roughly, poking it in the process.

 

“I don’t know what time your fucking match starts but it’s fucking 10am,” Soonyoung’s voice was dripping with worry.

 

“WHAT THE FUCK I’M GONNA BE LATE SHIT!” Wonwoo barrelled out of his room frantically, tripping over his blanket in the process. “WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?”

 

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW GOD DAMN IT WONWOO I CAME HOME LATE ALRIGHT!” Soonyoung yelled from the kitchen, toasting some bread for Wonwoo’s last minute before-game breakfast. 

 

“WHERE’S MY TOWEL?” Wonwoo bolted from room to room, grabbing all the necessary items he could gather in his arms.

 

“IT’S IN THE TOILET YOU PIECE OF SHIT. AND I PACKED YOUR STUFF FOR YOU LAST NIGHT. JUST HURRY AND SHOWER.”

 

“I could kiss you right now,” Wonwoo popped his head out from the shower and smiled, a genuine smile that he kept for those he care for, Soonyoung being one of them. 

 

“Shut up you’re not Seokmin,” Soonyoung muttered tersely. “Oh god what the fuck Wonwoo,” Soonyoung groused in disgust, eternally regretting that he saw a flash of Wonwoo’s ass when his towel slipped from his waist as he was running into his room. “I’m seriously having second thoughts about moving out.”

 

“Do that and my mom will hate you forever. Remember you promised her,” Wonwoo teased him with a lilt in his voice, stuffing his leg down a pair of briefs followed by his pants. He darted back and forth, grabbing his towel to dry his hair, at the same time trying to put his socks on. His room was in a mess as though a hurricane had passed through. “And I’m done!”

 

“Great now, get the fuck out of this apartment,” Soonyoung mumbled monotonously, feeling defeated when Wonwoo brought his mom up. 

 

“Wish me luck for the game, wifey,” Wonwoo grabbed the toast from the table, slipping into his sports shoes.

 

“Wifey my ass, Jeon Wonwoo,” Soonyoung gagged as he handed Wonwoo his gym bag by the doorstep. “Good luck! I’ll try to get there on time to watch!” He promised with a fond simle etched on his face while watching his best friend jumping off flights of stairs to sprint after his bus.

 

\---

 

God might just be on his side that day, Wonwoo heaved a sigh of relief but stopped short when he saw Jisoo strolling in from the other side. The both of them halted; Wonwoo all breathless and perspiring profusely while Jisoo looked calm and blindingly handsome as always. He looked up at Wonwoo and gave smile that took Wonwoo’s breath away. He laughed, a bright airy sound, when Wonwoo choked on his saliva.

 

“Are you still going to stand here or what?” Jisoo tilted his head (cutely in Wonwoo’s opinion honestly) and smiled again. He was smiling too much for Wonwoo’s poor heart lately and Wonwoo didn’t like it one bit.

 

“Obviously not,” Wonwoo huffed and stomped his way into the sportshall, trying to keep his heart from racing so hard against his chest.

 

“Prickly,” Jisoo chuckled to himself.

 

Everyone gathered for one last training session, with Jisoo and Wonwoo perfecting their combo whenever necessary. The team’s energy was at an all time high, Wonwoo could feel it in his bones, the team spirit within each of them. He was intuitive like that. After an hour, they were left to their own devices, Wonwoo choosing to hang around Junhui who was talking animatedly to a few other teammates. Feeling awkward, he decided to head outside where he saw Jisoo standing by the railings, overlooking the field.

 

“Something bothering you?” Wonwoo made his presence known in a low voice. 

 

Jisoo chuckled before glancing at him. “Yeah. Feelings.”

 

“Well I’m here if you need me,” he offered with a tight smile, feeling his heart lurch when Jisoo decidedly brought up the topic of feelings.

 

Jisoo pursed his lips, possibly considering Wonwoo’s offer. “I’m tired of having feelings,” was what he simply said.

 

“If you’re tired then I’m exhausted,” Wonwoo joked bitterly. “Unrequited, remember?”

 

“You’re stupid for liking someone who doesn’t like you back,” Jisoo sighed, resting his arms and head on the railings, sneaking glances at Wonwoo. “If it was me…” he trailed off.

 

“If it were you?” Wonwoo questioned indifferently, pretending like he never wanted to know what Jisoo had to say.

 

“Nothing,” Jisoo muttered. “Just nothing.”

 

“Let’s get in, we gotta make the last minute prep for the games later,” Wonwoo took Jisoo by the hand, comfortably linking arms together. His chest felt numb this time round despite always feeling restricted. 

 

_ Strange. _

 

Coach Nakamoto gave a 30 minute long pep talk before handing his time over to Sangha who said nothing much except highlighting Coach’s important words. He sent everyone to change while waiting for their opponents to arrive. Slowly, the sportshall started to fill up with supporters and students alike, the audience being in Cheongdam’s favour since they weren’t  at away games like the quarterfinals. The teams did one last cheer before the referee gathered them to start the match.

 

The game started smoothly, with Cheongdam being in the lead. It was pretty difficult to shake Seollim players off. They were constantly blocking in their defensive plays, marking out Jisoo and Sangha of all people. However, Cheongdam players stayed tenacious and played according to their pace. Soon enough, they were scoring point after point. During a pass, Wonwoo’s hand was rudely intercepted by a Seollim player.  It was a foul by the other team as raised by the referee. Wonwoo took the ball, threw it right at Sangha who then passed it swiftly to Junhui. The passes were so quick, it was difficult for the opponents to get a good grip on the ball. They were starting to get into their groove, making shots, getting rebounds. Within seconds, the ball landed in Wonwoo’s palms before he took a split second look at Jisoo who nodded slightly. They began their quick attack, executing it swiftly when the opponents least expected them to. The audience gasped in shock, watching Wonwoo and Jisoo’s first attack combo together. Fangirls squealed out in anticipation when Jisoo made the first goal. When the ball fell through the hoop, a loud cheer erupted from every corner of the hall. It seemed as though the audience were in awe at the precision of Wonwoo and Jisoo’s teamwork, two players who refused passing the ball to each other in their previous games becoming Cheongdam's deadliest weapon.

 

Wonwoo turned to his right. Standing in all his glory, bubblegum pink hair plastered against his forehead, jersey sticking to his body like second skin was Hong Jisoo, Wonwoo’s strongest ally, his best shot at winning the game, someone he came to grow fond of, love even. Jisoo was already looking at him, beaming with pride since their first attack combo was successful. Wonwoo smiled at Jisoo, the one he kept for only those who held a special place in his heart - a warm and genuine one - and watched as Jisoo's eyes widened in realisation before he turned away, hiding a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

 

Almost instantaneously, a constricting pain his chest paralysed him as he crouched on the floor right in the middle of the game. It was as though he’d been hit by a wrecking ball right through his chest, The pain was something he had never felt before, by far the most excruciating one he'd ever felt. Wonwoo knew what's it for him. The lump in his throat grew bigger and he opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. He started wheezing, clawing at his throat, gasping for air and it was like he couldn't breathe at all. Wonwoo knew he was convulsing or at least he felt that he was. 

 

“He's having a seizure,” he heard someone yell, quite a distance away from where he laid. 

 

There was a loud commotion and everyone gathered around him, the referee, his teammates, his coach. Somewhere in the audience he was aware that Jeonghan and Mingyu would be worried sick, or even Soonyoung if he did decide to watch him.

 

“Wonwoo, you have to sit out in this game,” Coach Nakamoto barked in distress. He's never had a player in this situation before, not especially one that has forcibly stopped the game midway, or someone who ruined to the team’s chance at winning.

 

Amidst the crowd panicking around him, Wonwoo caught sight of Jisoo being pushed around,  frantically searching for a way to pass through. He wormed his way through the front and knelt on the floor next to him. Jisoo looked like he was close to tears and before Wonwoo saw him crying, he wiped off the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry,” he whispered again like a broken record, helplessly watching Wonwoo curled up into a ball on the floor. 

 

He wanted to reach out to him, to tell Jisoo that it wasn't his fault. Wonwoo didn't want to see him crying like that, wasting away his precious tears on someone as undeserving as him. Within minutes the first aiders whisked him away to the sick bay where he was told to rest. The pain in his chest didn’t recede at all but he was no longer convulsing. Wonwoo called Jaehyung out weakly who accompanied him in the sick bay. 

 

“Jaehyung, I'm feeling better now. Help me up. I need to be there. Jisoo needs me,” he said in a raspy voice, barely loud enough for Jaehyung to hear. 

 

“No. I can't. Coach says you have to sit out. You need to rest Wonwoo. You can't keep pushing yourself like this,” Jaehyung pushed him down on the bed gently, stopping him from moving too much. “I know what’s been going on.”

 

“Please just help me this once. I just need Jisoo to know that I'm fine. I bet he's worried sick,” Wonwoo pleaded weakly. 

 

“But coach,” Jaehyung looks around doubtfully, deciding if he should really help him. 

 

“I'm asking as your friend, Jaehyung,” Wonwoo winced as he propped himself up with both arms. “Take me to Hong Jisoo.”

 

“Ugh I hate getting caught up in stupid love-hate relationships. Just get together already,” Jaehyung grumbled under his breath, pulling Wonwoo to his feet. 

 

“Hey I'm working on it,” Wonwoo replied with a small smile.

 

“You’re really goddamn annoying,” Jaehyung complained unhappily yet he was so careful when walking Wonwoo out of the sickbay.

 

The walk wasn’t all too far. Wonwoo could easily find Jisoo on the court thanks to his hair being so bright. That being said, his heart was immediately crushed when he saw Jisoo running around the court unfocused, getting shoved and blocked by the opponents, falling to his knees too many times, missing hoop after hoop yet again. It was familiar, like a snippet of his memory playing right before his eyes. 

 

So Wonwoo did the first thing he could think of. “HONG JISOO I LOVE YOU!”

 

He flushed red when he realised the extent of his confession. He felt eyes on him, not just Jisoo’s but his teammates, the other players and the audience. Jaehyun facepalmed himself in secondhand embarrassment. His eyes darted around, playing with his fingers to distract himself from the intense stares of onlookers. Wonwoo waited for it but the flowers never came. Then it hit him, what that seizure truly meant, why Jisoo was so irrevocably sorry. Jeonghan did mention it before, how Mingyu’s disease went away and it was too much of a similarity with his situation.

 

_ Did… did Hong Jisoo just? _

 

Wonwoo braved himself to look up and what greeted him was a sight of a teary eyed Jisoo running towards him. He panicked, not knowing how to face his favourite person but before he could react, Jisoo pulled him into the locker room.

 

“What are you doing here?” Wonwoo tried wriggling away when Jisoo grabbed the both of his arms. “Aren’t you supposed to be out there? There are sponsors watching you.”

 

“Minhyun substituted me,” Jisoo tried to even out his breathing, hands trembling so much as he clutched onto Wonwoo’s jersey. Their eyes met; Wonwoo never failed to be mesmerised by how pretty Jisoo’s eyes were, and since Jisoo was crying, the eyes he loved most looked like sparkling gems.

 

“Hey d-don’t cry,” he patted the fluffy pink hair in front of him, before pulling Jisoo in his arms.

 

“Do you really mean it?” Jisoo asked sadly. His eyes were imploring Wonwoo yet there was fear in it; fear of rejection.

 

“I…”

 

“What Wonwoo. What?” Jisoo pleaded in a tired voice. 

 

“I’ve been in love with you for sometime now,” he murmured into Jisoo’s hair, tightening the hug; there still wasn’t enough of Jisoo. He craved more now that he no longer needed to hide it.

 

“And why didn’t yo-” Jisoo’s words were cut off mid sentence when Wonwoo cupped his face in a gentle caress and moulded his lips against Jisoo’s pliant ones. It was kiss not to only silence him; Jisoo could feel the amount of love Wonwoo had for him. He felt so vulnerable in Wonwoo’s hands and he couldn’t fight back. When Wonwoo pulled back, he reached out to kiss him once more, this time with much more fervour almost like he was desperate for Wonwoo to understand his feelings. “I love you too.”

 

“Ah finally,” Wonwoo sighed in relief. All the stress was finally lifted. “Finally.”

 

“Do you think Coach will let us back in? To the game I mean,” Jisoo mumbled into Wonwoo’s jersey, hiding his face from sight. 

 

“Well of course. We're captain and vice-captain to be you know. He’ll probably slaughter us first before letting us in,” he said rather convincingly and Jisoo nodded. 

 

“Let's go,” Wonwoo took Jisoo’s hand in his shyly, intertwining their fingers in a gentle hold. “We have a game to win. Together.”

 

“Yeah we do.” 

  
And they won; the team won the games, Wonwoo won Jisoo’s heart and Jisoo won Wonwoo’s. It was win-win for everyone, even Coach Nakamoto who was secretly rooting for the both of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to those who read sugar and spice, fire and ice, i want to thank you for making me want to write. honestly i'm a procrastinator but knowing that there are people who actually wants to read my fic, it really makes me happy. thank you to eliz, zy and erin for always motivating me and spamming me with wonshua. i love yall so much.
> 
> also sorry for the abrupt end guys but i hope you like it. 11k words after almost 4 years... this is an accomplishment.
> 
> see you next wonshua time :)


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